Joe Christensen covered Major League Baseball for 15 years, including three seasons at the Baltimore Sun and eight at the Star Tribune, before switching to the college football beat. He’s a Faribault, Minn., native who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1996. He covered Jim Wacker’s Gophers for the Minnesota Daily and also wrote about USC, UCLA and the Rose Bowl for the Riverside Press-Enterprise before getting this chance to cover football again.

Kill says cornerback Briean Boddy 'has certainly been eye-catching'

On Wednesday, Gophers coach Jerry Kill said the defense had made three nice interceptions in the team’s second scrimmage at TCF Bank Stadium. Tonight, he expanded on that, saying two of them came from junior cornerback Briean Boddy.

“He’s had a great camp,” Kill said. “Yesterday in the scrimmage, he made big-time plays. Again it goes back to who he is. He’s a hard worker. They say he’s the best basketball player on our team.”

Boddy transferred from Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College last year with three seasons of eligibility still remaining. He played in all 13 games last year, and he’ll see ample playing time at cornerback this year, especially in situations when the Gophers are using five defensive backs at the same time.

“Briean has certainly been eye-catching the way he’s been playing,” Kill said. “He’s a kid who never complains. He never comes in and gripes about his role. He doesn’t say anything. He just goes out and plays and works hard, does what he needs to do.”

And that other interception? It came from linebacker Damien Wilson. Freshman defensive back Jalen Myric made a couple nice plays, too, apparently.